Ruder Finn UK Adds Senior Trio In Healthcare Reshuffle

LONDON--Ruder Finn has named new healthcare leadership in the UK and brought in Stephen Davies to head its digital health efforts .

The firm has hired Vicky O'Connor from Cohn & Wolfe as UK healthcare head. The position has been vacant for a year while previous healthcare lead Judith Cranford took a sabbatical.

Cranford, who has since returned to the firm, now takes on a global role overseeing Ruder Finn's advocacy efforts.

Davies, meanwhile, has arrived from 33 Digital, after previously supporting numerous firms as a social media specialist. As a director in Ruder Finn's digital team, he is tasked with driving the firm's digital health offering, bringing a specific focus on the "quantified self" movement.

Ruder Finn UK MD Nick Leonard called digital health a "boom area", pointing out that it sits at the convergence of the firm's existing capabilities in technology, healthcare, digital and policy.

"There's a lot of opportunity out there and agencies are not really working in this space," said Leonard. "Steve has the expertise to drive this forward."

Meanwhile, Annabel Fiddian-Green also joins Ruder Finn as a healthcare director, after most recently managing her own portfolio of international clients. Prior to that, Fiddian-Green spent a year as interim head of communications at the ABPI.

“We are growing fast and felt that now was the time to align our offer and leadership with the needs of a dynamic healthcare landscape,” said Leonard. “Healthcare communications is changing rapidly and agencies need to adapt to new pressures, requirements and market demands."